Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council

MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. The United States, while making its decision to stop cooperation with Russia on Syria, is staking on a military scenario and a forcible change of power in Damascus, a senior Russian senator told the Izvestia daily.

Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament, said that by the decision, the United States hopes to bring to power the moderate opposition, and then address the problem of terrorism in Syria.

"This is road to nowhere, as a forcible change of power, including through support of the opposition from outside, will only replay the scenario we’ve seen in Iraq and Libya, and will lead to disintegration and destabilization," Kosachev said.

He said Russia still speaks for "transition of the Syrian crisis to the political tracks, termination of the civil war and the start of a consolidated opposition to terrorists."

On October 3, U.S. Department of State spokesman John Kirby said that the United States suspends the use of bilateral channels with Russia that were established to maintain the ceasefire regime in Syria.